Students Protest Intolerance at College Coffee

(DISCLAIMER: The following article contains offensive language. This reflects the decision of Elon Local News to accurately report the protest by quoting the students involved.)

Students staged a demonstration at College Coffee on Tuesday morning, protesting what they claim is intolerance and inaction at Elon University.

"Your silence is acceptance," senior Jasmine Whaley said, starting the protest.

In unison, the protestors yelled slurs including "faggot," "dyke," "nigger," "coon," and "feminazi."

After each slur, an individual student said: "Don't accept it, speak against it."

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"You are probably more offended by the words than the culture of apathy that allows it to happen," Whaley said. "And that's the problem."

Before the protest, flyers were scattered around campus using many of the same slurs. One such flyer read "Students call me a faggot because I'm gay, and that's okay with Elon."

The bottom of each flyer also included the hashtag #ItsNotOver.

In an open letter to Elon students, protestors cited events including the Chick-fil-A debate, the Not on Our Campus movement, the "coon" posters and "The Elon D" Twitter account as examples of disrespect and apathy towards intolerance on Elon's campus.

"We recognize that active perpetrators of oppression are a small number on our campus," the letter states. "But ask yourself: Did you do anything to stop them?"

When asked about the protest, Dr. Smith Jackson, Vice President of Student Life, said he was "proud of our students."

"They've gotten right to the core solution of creating an institution that affirms and respects everyone," Jackson said. "Everybody needs to be willing to contribute to stamping out acts ands words of discrimination."

Both the letter and public demonstration ended with the protestors promising that there is still much work to do and that, "Its not over."

Stay tuned to ElonLocalNews.com and follow @ElonLocalNews on Twitter for more as the story develops.